sandbach-sticks
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Everything posted by sandbach-sticks
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went to Chelford farm auction builders bags of logs going from £25-£35 it is hard to justify me selling for £60-£75. However, they were wet and all sizes, so as you mention i will just hold on until October when we hopefully have another harsh winter. I am trying to make a living out of firewood, but couldn't had it not been for kindling and making some wood products for farmers markets etc. Think my answer is you can make a living out of wood, if you combine the sales of different products. to make a living out of logs alone then you need to invest more money than i will see in my life
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p.s you would have to supply bags and sealing machine for that price.
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if you cut the wood into 6 inch lengths then i can process and bag, looking at charging £200 to kindle and bag 400 nets 50ish by 40 cm. If you just drop offcuts off and you want us to cut to length then you need to add another £70. As you can see you can see profit margins are tight, and that is me doing at not much more over labour cost to keep the lads busy. The longer your offcuts the better, i have done one job where offcuts were rubbish 7-10 inches so just became a pain with a lot of waste. Still interested let me know cheers Rob
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had a mate make a kindling machine very similar to that, knotted wood ended up getting stuck and is still in it will take pic if i remember over wkend!
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No women drive you to drink firewood and been my escape
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I would be interested in buying cord wood you have, and i am in North West so could pickup, where in North West are you?
Cheers Rob
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I think this year will be harder to make a living as cord wood prices are rising, it all depends how you source your wood. I process firewood incl kindling part-time at the moment and am hoping to go full-time from Oct 2011
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My processor and me would be available for hire in August. I am in Cheshire so not a million miles away. I also have saw benches and splitters that would save you a lot of time, after hiring once and seeing the difference you will buy Similar to everyone else i started doing everything with axe and chainsaw. Cheapest set up would be to get a splitter made (local farm engineer) and look on ebay for hydraulic power pack (or old tractor), I got a saw bench from germany it was only £240 and has done a lot of work (good for logs up to 30 cm diam). Good luck!
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go on wood lots or set yourself an account up with the forestry commission you are ideally situated
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Ask them if it is to make furniture out of if not then don't worry! Woodworm is only going to spread May-July, so even if they have it in their logs over winter it is unlikely to spread provided the wood is burnt before May, that is my understanding of their life cycle.
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Balcas demand distorting firewood prices?
sandbach-sticks replied to difflock's topic in Firewood forum
I agree Andy, but unfortunately when the public phone they seldom ask me for anything other than price and quantity. Only a few ask about quality! I have learnt that i need to promote myself more and sell direct, and not to garages and garden centers as i did last year. -
Balcas demand distorting firewood prices?
sandbach-sticks replied to difflock's topic in Firewood forum
I wish i had the balls to charge £120 a cu meter, i wouldn't sell anything. However, as i said on another post kindling has become more profitable for me than logs due to the increase in price of cord wood. I am trying make a living and it is hard while everyone appears to be producing logs and willing to sell them 'cheap' and at a profit? -
I do think its like looking for a fight on a friday if you want trouble you can find it. If you don't respect machinery you will get hurt.
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I think the prices down south are much better than up here.
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I sell kiln dried hardwood sticks at £1.50/bag and will do them for £1.25/bag for large orders. To be honest i can't see it is worth it for any less. I am only interested in processing firewood so kindling has actually been more profitable than logs this year due to the rise in price of cord wood.
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Yes it is but not by hand. If you have enough timber then it might be worth hiring a kindlet machine. I have found it has been worth doing as everyone appears to be doing logs and therefore the demand for kindling has gone up.
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Is anyone going to woodfest at the weekend in St Asaph?
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I do sell at discount, i am selling unseasoned loads and knocking off the cost and time of seasoning and double handling. I have put prices for a 1.5 tonne crate up form £70 to £120 in the space of 3 years. I am currently selling unseasoned loads 1.5 tonne box which is about 600 logs 2m3 for £90 (mixed wood), seasoned £120 (and haven't lost any customers). I reckon i am supplying quality and am trying to set my prices in line with everyone on here, as i realise i was becoming/being a "busy fool", and spent too long worrying about charging too much. I suspect that i will be charging £70 m3 by Oct 2011, which i reckon is bout right unless corrected on here?
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If it is just wood ash then you can use a fair bit, I have an allotment and have mixed it in however you can have too much potash. Is it just wood or multi fuel as coal ash can add too much sulphur and other undesirable stuff in it.
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Mixed loads is the way to go, especially with most of my customers being on log burners. I am in my second year and now processing fire wood and kindling. I kept sales sensible last year, didn't sell out and tried to concentrate on quality. I was advised not to be a "busy fool" (which i nearly did the year before) and not to run out hence losing customers. I think the way forward would be for everyone on here to share prices before October 2011 and try to stick to them. Those that sell cheap will run out, takes 1 bad load 5 mins to lose a customer and can take years to regain them. I have made money, but to make a living need to produce a lot more. I have found offering a variety of products (even if i have to buy some in) improves sales. I worry more about the selling of our forestry and big companies blowing small producers like myself out of the sea? P.S I have learnt a lot on here from new and old members!
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Advice on a log splitter for home use.
sandbach-sticks replied to Stevie Mac's topic in Firewood forum
Think you would be looking at 2nd hand parts and then rams are hit and miss, you might get dodgy seals etc. Maybe if everyone purchased parts in bulk then it could be done. My friend made my splitter £1000 and it is a beast, i am sure that he or someone would make them if the parts were supplied. We have looked at making a towable log splitter (road legal) but was coming out at same price a those on-line! -
How much ££, and what sort of diameter? please! I am interested in Birch
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I am new to processing and first attempt did 4 tonnes in a day. However, i got organised, sorted the wood into similar diameters and tidied lengths up. Big rings i saved and just used the processor as a splitter, and can now fill 5 1.5 tonne potato crates in a day with logs at 10 inch. I have considered just using the processor to produce billets as the 10 inch logs tend to twist in the splitting trough and the last log is always hard to cut. I got depressed at the initial slow process as it didn't seems much quicker than the old method, however, I can get up the next morning and do the same again instead of lying there thinking someone had battered me the night before I deal in Arb waste and i really do get all sorts, i presume if i got top notch cord wood then i would be much quicker.
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How much for Nissan D22 Pickup Load of logs slightly heaped up
sandbach-sticks replied to cessna's topic in Firewood forum
Just started doing mixed loads 1m3 unseasoned £50, not going to be selling just oak etc this year, as i am getting more and more soft wood, and most of my customers have log burners. I will be selling mixed wood seasoned 1m3 for £70 from August 2011 incl delivery -
I am insured with NFU and they will not insure my stock outside, so i too will be interested in any information!
